Uticopa Blog

When actor Kevin Whately proudly posed with his mother Mary for his graduation ceremony back in 1996, he couldn't have known the highs and lows of what the future held.  Not only would he lose his screen partner, John Thaw, but witness the agonising years of his mother's decline through Alzheimer's.
The actor, best known for his role in the ITV drama Inspector Morse, and its spin-off series, Lewis, has recently revealed the harsh reality of caring for a loved one who is suffering from dementia.

The TV actor, who came to fame in the 1980s in the award-winning Auf Wiedersehn Pet, before becoming firmly lodged in the national conscience as the sidekick of Inspector Morse, was one of four children born to Mary Whately, now 82. 

Mary was a grammar school teacher who was widowed at the age of 42. Kevin describes her as a "fiercely independent woman" who became angry as her memory began to fail seven years ago. Mrs Whately, who lived in Northumberland all her life and had hoped to die there, was finally diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2003.

As with all disorders of the brain, sufferers not only have to deal with the symptoms but also the ignorance of others. Many are the people who will walk the other side of the road rather than confront a known sufferer. During the progression of Alzheimer's disease, plaques of protein start to form around bran cells, blocking messages to and from the brain, leading to confusion, memory problems, mood swings, personality changes and depression. Age is the greatest risk factor; one in 50 people aged between 65 and 70 have dementia, compared with one in 5 above the age of 80.

As the actor says: "At first she would forget where she had left the car, or she would lose her house keys. It was hard to be sure what the problem was at first but she became increasingly depressed."  As many mental health practitioners and therapists will point out, the diagnosis clues are in the level of memory loss.  As we age, it is normal to forget where we put things, or even the reason why we have just climbed the stairs or opened the fridge door. These are symptoms of the normal, but irritating, loss of brain cells that go hand in hand with old age. The crucial difference with Alzheimer's is when someone holds up the keys for their car but suddenly doesn't know how to use them.

Since the diagnosis, Kevin and his brother and sisters have watched helplessly as the disease has taken its cruel toll. At first, the four siblings would take it in turns to make daily phone calls and weekly 700-mile round trips to their mother's home in Hexham.

After a Christmas in London four years ago, when Mrs Whately attempted to walk home, forgetting she was 300 miles from her beloved Northumberland, her deterioration became apparent. As her aggression mounted, she was admitted to hospital, and finally transferred into a private care home in west London.

"It was a struggle to find somewhere, there aren't many good homes and essentially you are waiting for some poor soul to die," says Whately, candidly. "The profits from the sale of her home have paid for the £1,000 weekly costs of the current home", he says, while expressing sympathy for families who do not have that option. This is a huge problem for most families who couldn't possibly afford the nearly £50,000 p.a. costs from their own incomes.  And, as no-one knows how many years they are going to need to fund their relative's care, it's difficult even to negotiate an equity-release loan on their home.

Whately praises many of the staff working with some of the most challenging and unhappy patients, but says there are not enough decent care homes to meet the burden of Britain's ageing population. He therefore urges the Government to increase funding both for research into Alzheimer's, the main type of dementia, as well as treatment of the disease and care for sufferers.
Recently the Government announced that every GP is to be trained to diagnose dementia under an ambitious five year plan to give patients and their families support, therapy and up to date care. It has been termed the cruelest disease because it robs people of the very essence of their character and personality, but we can all help by funding research into that future breakthrough that is just around the corner.

That is why Whately is helping to publicise this year's BUPA Great North Run, the proceeds of which go to the Alzheimer's Society. If you wish to be involved in this Run, click here. For more information on Alzheimer's, visit www.alzheimers.org.uk